Energy from trash: Utilizing garbage and
rubbish from Frankfurt, Germany, the
suburb of Nordwest Stadt burns 700 tons
of it a day in an incinerator beneath the
towering stack. Water tubes in furnace
walls generate steam that produces light
and heat for 40,000 people. Electrostatic
precipitators prevent escape of fly ash.
More than 15 cities in Europe, North
America, and Japan use similar operations.
KODACHROMES
BYJAMESP. BLAIR(C N.G .S .; LOUISIANASTATEUNIVERSITY(BELOW)
with systems," he continued. "For example,
the World Health Organization went into
Ceylon with pesticides to knock down the
high mortality rate from malaria. It did a
very good job of it. But its success has also
contributed to Ceylon's severe overpopula
tion problem and strained economy.
"The human race," the ecologist continued,
"may be in even more trouble than we think.
Very possibly, man won't know he has passed
the point of no return until it's too late."
A horrible idea! I asked him to explain.
"Life depends on quite a few micro
organisms doing their job," Dr. Cole replied.
"For example, at least six types of bacteria in
soil and water are absolutely essential to keep
nitrogen circulating from air into organic
material, then back to the air again. If any of
the bacteria stopped working, nitrogen in the
atmosphere would be depleted-or possibly
replaced by ammonia."
He shook his head slowly. "We're playing a
kind of Russian roulette. We keep pouring
new chemicals into the environment without
769
And food from waste: At Louisiana State
University, engineers have put the oblong
bacterium Cellulomonas (below) to work
gobbling up bagasse, or sugar-cane residue.
Dried, the organisms contain 50 percent
protein. Five pounds of bagasse held by
Dr. Clayton D. Callihan (above, left) pro
duce one pound of protein meal displayed
by Dr. Charles E. Dunlap. Tests on farm
animals suggest its use as a human food
additive as well. The process could con
sume any cellulose-even city paper trash.
20.000 TIMESLIFE-SIZE